Predicting the 2022 MLB Postseason Rosters for Every Playoff Team
The 2022 MLB regular season is over, the postseason field is officially set, and the playoffs will start Friday with the wild-card round.
For the 12 teams still standing, the next order of business will be to set the postseason roster, whittling the active roster back down to 26 players while also accounting for players set to come off the injured list.
Ahead we've taken a crack at predicting how each team's postseason roster will look, which meant providing our best guess on how some injury situations will unfold and how teams will balance their bench and bullpen numbers.
Teams can shuffle their roster between each playoff round, and we could see some clubs leave a starting pitcher or two off the roster for the best-of-three wild-card round, but these groupings should serve as an overview of what to expect in October.
Atlanta Braves
1 of 12
Catchers (2): William Contreras, Travis d'Arnaud
Infielders (6): Orlando Arcia, Ehire Adrianza, Vaughn Grissom, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson
Outfielders (5): Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Guillermo Heredia, Marcell Ozuna, Eddie Rosario
Starting Pitchers (4): Max Fried (L), Charlie Morton, Spencer Strider, Kyle Wright
Relief Pitchers (9): Jesse Chavez, Bryce Elder, Raisel Iglesias, Kenley Jansen, Dylan Lee (L), Tyler Matzek (L), Collin McHugh, A.J. Minter (L), Jackson Stephens
-Second baseman Ozzie Albies (fractured pinkie) is not expected to be ready to go until at least the NLCS, which opens the door for two of Ehire Adrianza, Robbie Grossman and Guillermo Heredia to make the playoff roster.
-Rookies Bryce Elder and Kyle Muller are competing with veteran Jake Odorizzi for a long relief role in the bullpen and perhaps also the No. 4 starter spot in the NLCS if Spencer Strider (strained oblique) can't provide more than relief work. It's still unclear whether Strider will be ready to go for the NLDS.
-Maligned veteran Marcell Ozuna is hitting .292/.346/.500 in 52 plate appearances in September, and that may be enough to clinch his spot.
Cleveland Guardians
2 of 12
Catchers (3): Austin Hedges, Luke Maile, Bo Naylor
Infielders (6): Gabriel Arias, Andrés Giménez, Owen Miller, Josh Naylor, José Ramírez, Amed Rosario
Outfielders (5): Will Benson, Will Brennan, Oscar González, Steven Kwan, Myles Straw
Starting Pitchers (4): Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Zach Plesac, Cal Quantrill
Relief Pitchers (8): Emmanuel Clase, Enyel De Los Santos, Sam Hentges (L), James Karinchak, Eli Morgan, Cody Morris, Nick Sandlin, Trevor Stephan
-There has been some confusion over whether Will Brennen is eligible for the postseason after he made his MLB debut on Sept. 21 and was not part of the 40-man roster prior to the Sept. 1 deadline. According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, he is eligible to be included as a replacement for Anthony Gose, who is on the 60-day injured list.
-The only real roster question seems to be whether Bo Naylor will get a spot as a third catcher or whether they'll go with another pitcher. Starter Aaron Civale could slot in the bullpen as a long reliever, or Kirk McCarty could give the bullpen a second lefty alongside Sam Hentges.
-Rookie Gabriel Arias has started nine straight games and seen time at all four infield spots, so it will be interesting to see what role he fills in the postseason.
Houston Astros
3 of 12
Catchers (2): Martín Maldonado, Christian Vázquez
Infielders (6): José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Aledmys Díaz, Yuli Gurriel, David Hensley, Jeremy Peña
Outfielders (5): Yordan Álvarez, Mauricio Dubón, Trey Mancini, Chas McCormick, Kyle Tucker
Starting Pitchers (4): Lance McCullers Jr., Jose Urquidy, Framber Valdez (L), Justin Verlander
Relief Pitchers (9): Bryan Abreu, Hunter Brown, Luis García, Cristian Javier, Rafael Montero, Héctor Neris, Ryan Pressly, Will Smith (L), Ryne Stanek
-The Houston Astros have the enviable problem of six viable options for the postseason rotation. Cristian Javier and Luis García both have experience pitching out of the bullpen and stuff that can play up in shorter stints, so they are tentatively penciled into relief roles.
-Infielder David Hensley, outfielder Jake Meyers and utility man Mauricio Dubón appear to be battling for two roster spots. Hensley has been the best offensive performer of the bunch, while Meyers is a better outfielder than Dubón to fill a defensive replacement role on the bench.
-The toughest roster decision is the final bullpen spot between flame-throwing rookie Hunter Brown and veteran Phil Maton, who ranks third in the team with 66 appearances. Brown may have punched his ticket Tuesday with three strikeouts in 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.
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Los Angeles Dodgers
4 of 12
Catchers (2): Austin Barnes, Will Smith
Infielders (6): Hanser Alberto, Freddie Freeman, Gavin Lux, Max Muncy, Justin Turner, Trea Turner
Outfielders (5): Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts, Joey Gallo, Chris Taylor, Trayce Thompson
Starting Pitchers (4): Tyler Anderson (L), Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw (L), Julio Urías (L)
Relief Pitchers (9): Yency Almonte, Caleb Ferguson (L), Brusdar Graterol, Andrew Heaney (L), Tommy Kahnle, Craig Kimbrel, Chris Martin, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia (L)
-The big question mark for the Los Angeles Dodgers is the status of right-handers Dustin May (lower back tightness) and Blake Treinen (shoulder tightness), who could both fill key spots on the pitching staff if they are healthy. For now, both look like long shots to be part of the NLDS roster.
-Southpaws Caleb Ferguson and David Price are vying for the last spot in the bullpen. Meanwhile, the No. 4 starter role is a toss-up between Tony Gonsolin and Andrew Heaney, with the outcome likely dependent on how deep they feel the recently activated Gonsolin (forearm tightness) can pitch into games.
-The final bench spot comes down to versatile infielder Hanser Alberto and rookie slugger Miguel Vargas. The 22-year-old Vargas is just 8-for-47 with 13 strikeouts in limited MLB action, but he had a .915 OPS with 32 doubles, 17 home runs and 82 RBI in 113 games at Triple-A.
New York Mets
5 of 12
Catchers (3): Francisco Álvarez, James McCann, Tomás Nido
Infielders (5): Pete Alonso, Eduardo Escobar, Luis Guillorme, Francisco Lindor, Daniel Vogelbach
Outfielders (5): Mark Canha, Terrance Gore, Jeff McNeil, Tyler Naquin, Brandon Nimmo
Starting Pitchers (4): Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco, Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer
Relief Pitchers (9): Edwin Díaz, Mychal Givens, Seth Lugo, Trevor May, Adam Ottavino, Joely Rodriguez (L), Drew Smith, Taijuan Walker, Trevor Williams
-Right fielder Starling Marte is not expected to be ready to go for wild-card action as he continues to rehab a fractured finger. That opens the door for Francisco Álvarez or Mark Vientos to claim a bench spot.
-The Mets could opt to leave Carlos Carrasco or Taijuan Walker off the Wild Card Series roster in favor of David Peterson and Tylor Megill filling spots in the bullpen, but both figure to be part of the NLDS roster if they advance.
-Veteran reliever Mychal Givens is expected to be cleared to return from the COVID-19 injured list in time to be included on the roster. Peterson and Megill would again be the leading candidates to snag a spot if he's unable to go.
New York Yankees
6 of 12
Catchers (2): Kyle Higashioka, Jose Trevino
Infielders (6): Matt Carpenter, Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres
Outfielders (5): Harrison Bader, Oswaldo Cabrera, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton
Starting Pitchers (4): Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortés, Luis Severino, Jameson Taillon
Relief Pitchers (9): Miguel Castro, Aroldis Chapman (L), Scott Effross, Domingo Germán, Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Lucas Luetge (L), Clarke Schmidt, Lou Trivino
-With DJ LeMahieu back healthy and Matt Carpenter expected to make his long-awaited return from a fractured left foot, it's hard to find a roster spot for utility man Marwin Gonzalez or rookie Oswald Peraza, who hit his first career home run Tuesday.
-Outfielder Andrew Benintendi (fractured wrist), starter Frankie Montas (shoulder inflammation) and reliever Ron Marinaccio (stress reaction in shin) could all be available at some point during the postseason, but they are not expected to be part of the ALDS picture.
-Relievers Clay Holmes and Miguel Castro were recently activated from the injured list, providing a bit more clarity to the bullpen situation. If the team decides to go with eight relievers instead of nine, Castro will likely be on the outside looking in.
Philadelphia Phillies
7 of 12
Catchers (2): J.T. Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs
Infielders (6): Alec Bohm, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Maton, Jean Segura, Edmundo Sosa, Bryson Stott
Outfielders (5): Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber, Matt Vierling
Starting Pitchers (4): Bailey Falter (L), Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez (L), Zack Wheeler
Relief Pitchers (9): José Alvarado, Andrew Bellatti, Connor Brogdon, Seranthony Domínguez, Zach Eflin, Kyle Gibson, Brad Hand (L), David Robertson, Noah Syndergaard
-Infielder Edmundo Sosa (strained hamstring) and Brad Hand (elbow tendinitis) are the two big injury question marks for the Philadelphia Phillies. There seems to be more optimism surrounding Hand's potential return, but both have a solid shot of being included on the wild-card roster.
-The final spot on the pitching staff could go to Nick Nelson over No. 4 starter Bailey Falter for the Wild Card Series, though there's also a chance both could be included over struggling veteran starter Kyle Gibson, who has a 9.73 ERA in six September starts.
-Slugger Darick Hall has a 124 OPS+ with nine home runs in 140 plate appearances, and he did a great job filling in for Bryce Harper as the primary designated hitter when Harper was sidelined. It's tough to find a spot for him on the playoff roster, though.
San Diego Padres
8 of 12
Catchers (3): Jorge Alfaro, Luis Campusano, Austin Nola
Infielders (5): Josh Bell, Jake Cronenworth, Brandon Drury, Ha-Seong Kim, Manny Machado
Outfielders (5): José Azócar, Trent Grisham, Wil Myers, Jurickson Profar, Juan Soto
Starting Pitchers (4): Mike Clevinger, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell (L)
Relief Pitchers (9): Luis García, Josh Hader (L), Tim Hill (L), Pierce Johnson, Sean Manaea (L), Nick Martinez, Craig Stammen, Robert Suarez, Steven Wilson
-Fifth starter Sean Manaea made things difficult when he threw six shutout innings of one-hit ball against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, and he could push Adrian Morejón (26 G, 4.24 ERA) or Pierce Johnson (14 G, 4.73 ERA) to the other side of the roster bubble.
-Brandon Dixon hit .374/.442/.823 with 23 home runs and 74 RBI in 51 games in the upper level of the minors this season, and he is 3-for-11 with a double in limited action as a September call-up, but it's hard to see how he fits on the roster.
-Catcher Jorge Alfaro has not started a game since Sept. 23, and he's gone 7-for-50 with 23 strikeouts since the beginning of August. He could be left off the roster in favor of Dixon or a wild-card pick like Eguy Rosario.
Seattle Mariners
9 of 12
Catchers (2): Cal Raleigh, Luis Torrens
Infielders (6): J.P. Crawford, Ty France, Adam Frazier, Carlos Santana, Eugenio Suárez, Abraham Toro
Outfielders (5): Jarred Kelenic, Mitch Haniger, Dylan Moore, Julio Rodríguez, Taylor Trammell
Starting Pitchers (4): Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Robbie Ray
Relief Pitchers (9): Matthew Boyd (L), Matt Brash, Diego Castillo, Matthew Festa, Chris Flexen, Andrés Muñoz, Penn Murfee, Paul Sewald, Erik Swanson
-With Sam Haggerty (groin strain) and Jesse Winker (disc issue in neck) both suffering late-season injuries, the Mariners have a few more roster decisions to make than originally expected.
-Versatile infielder Abraham Toro has to be the front-runner for one of the available bench spots. For the other, the club could go with recently promoted Taylor Trammell or go with three catchers, with Curt Casali and Luis Torrens both making the cut.
-Left-hander Marco Gonzales has a 4.14 ERA in 176 innings this season, but he doesn't have a spot in the postseason rotation, and Chris Flexen is a better fit to shift to the bullpen and handle long relief duties.
St. Louis Cardinals
10 of 12
Catchers (2): Andrew Knizner, Yadier Molina
Infielders (6): Nolan Arenado, Paul DeJong, Brendan Donovan, Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, Albert Pujols
Outfielders (5): Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson, Corey Dickerson, Lars Nootbaar, Juan Yepez
Starting Pitchers (4): Miles Mikolas, Jordan Montgomery, José Quintana, Adam Wainwright
Relief Pitchers (9): Jack Flaherty, Giovanny Gallegos, Ryan Helsley, Jordan Hicks, Dakota Hudson, Andre Pallante, JoJo Romero (L), Zack Thompson (L), Jake Woodford
-Left fielder Tyler O'Neill (strained hamstring) is the biggest roster question mark, and as of now he is not expected to be ready to go for the Wild Card Series. Corey Dickerson, Alec Burleson and Juan Yepez will all be in the mix to start in his absence.
-Right-hander Jordan Hicks (arm fatigue) has not pitched since Sept. 14, but he is expected to be ready to roll for the start of the postseason. If he's not part of the postseason bullpen, his spot could go to Genesis Cabrera, Steven Matz or Chris Stratton.
-Sorting out the postseason rotation is going to be tricky. Veteran Adam Wainwright has a 7.22 ERA in his last six starts, while Jack Flaherty is finally healthy and seems to be hitting his stride. Who will fill out the staff alongside Miles Mikolas, José Quintana and Jordan Montgomery?
Tampa Bay Rays
11 of 12
Catchers (2): Christian Bethancourt, Francisco Mejía
Infielders (7): Jonathan Aranda, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Díaz, Wander Franco, Isaac Paredes, Harold Ramírez, Taylor Walls
Outfielders (4): Randy Arozarena, Manuel Margot, David Peralta, José Siri
Starting Pitchers (4): Corey Kluber, Shane McClanahan (L), Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs (L)
Relief Pitchers (9): Jason Adam, Shawn Armstrong, Jalen Beeks (L) JT Chargois, Garrett Cleavinger (L), Pete Fairbanks, Tyler Glasnow, Javy Guerra, Brooks Raley (L)
-An oblique strain to Colin Poche has cleared a path for fellow left-hander Jalen Beeks to claim a spot in the bullpen once he is activated from the injured list following a leg setback.
-Speedy Roman Quinn and versatile Vidal Brujan are dark horses for a bench spot, though rookie Jonathan Aranda has to be the favorite to round out the reserves as a versatile backup option with more offensive upside than the other two.
-In two starts since returning from a season-long stint on the injured list, Tyler Glasnow has thrown 50 and 64 pitches while failing to pitch beyond the fourth inning. That brings his postseason role into question, though he has the stuff to be a major multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen.
Toronto Blue Jays
12 of 12
Catchers (2): Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk
Infielders (6): Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Matt Chapman, Santiago Espinal, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Whit Merrifield
Outfielders (5): Jackie Bradley Jr., Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, George Springer, Raimel Tapia
Starting Pitchers (4): José Berríos, Kevin Gausman, Alek Manoah, Ross Stripling
Relief Pitchers (9): Anthony Bass, Adam Cimber, Yimi Garcia, Tim Mayza (L), David Phelps, Zach Pop, Trevor Richards, Jordan Romano, Mitch White
-Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (hamstring strain) and Santiago Espinal (oblique strain) were unable to get into a game before the regular season ended, but both were on the cusp of returning and are expected to be part of the Wild Card Series roster.
-Since the Toronto Blue Jays have so few left-handed bats on the roster, it would be nice to keep both Jackie Bradley Jr. and Bradley Zimmer on the bench, but the defensively superior Bradley Jr. has the upper hand to survive the roster crunch.
-Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi has a 5.40 ERA in 11 appearances out of the bullpen since being demoted from the rotation in mid-August. He would give the bullpen a second left-hander alongside Tim Mayza, but the long relief role appears more likely to go to Mitch White.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Tuesday's games.
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